Too often I do multiple surveys for the same
buyer after finding major issues with the
boats they had chosen. I always feel a little
guilty taking someone's hard earned money
when with a little bit of guidance they could
have weeded out the obvious junk themselves.
If my client is present when I find a deal
killer I suggest they forego the report and
charge only for my time. If they are not
available I have no choice but to complete
the survey and charge full price. Reading
this article will not make you a surveyor
but depending on your aptitude, if you get
even two or five or ten things out of this
it could save you the cost of a survey. You
are still going to have to hire a surveyor
but hopefully only once.

95% of what I do is observation and 95% of
my survey recommendations are based strictly
on what I have observed rather than what
I have actually tested with my various bits
of equipment.

Nothing in life or boats occurs independently,
for every action there is a reaction, for
every cause there is an effect and one must
keep this in mind when "observing"
a boat. Every issue you discover, every fault
you find will be related to something else.
Find an asymmetrically worn cutless bearing
and it will be related to a stuffing box
issue, find a stuffing box issue and it will
likely be related to a motor mount or alignment
problem.

My goal here is to show you how I look at
things, quiet patience and a camera are your
best friends.

All of the photos here are from my survey reports
with the exception of one delamination shot,
3 rigging photos from my friend Jay Stormer
of Dixie Land Marine and a tapered & straight threaded throughull
photo from Compass Marine. All of these photos are titled and linked
to their websites.

THE TOOL KIT -
The tools required to perform a competent
layman's inspection are found around most
households. If you don't have a multimeter
you can buy one for under $20.00.
Suggested tools for your inspection
- notebook,
measuring tape, flashlight, small hammer
(hard plastic or brass head preferred),
binoculars
(for masts), small mirror, paper towels,
multi-tool. something skinny and long
like
an ice pick (I use old dental tools)
and
a few coffee stir sticks ( I poke these
in
heat exchanges and coolant reservoirs
to
see if there is any rust or mud in
the bottom
). Your most important tool is the
camera.
I take all my general photos when I
arrive,
exterior, interior, engine compartment,
navigation
equipment and electrical panels. For
the
balance of the inspection I keep the
camera
close at hand to photograph specific
issues
as I discover them.

Many of the systems and structural elements
in a boat are so interrelated that you have
to go back and forth numerous times trying
to check something on the outside that is
related to something on the inside that is
related to an electrical component or seacock
or whatever. For this excercise I'll take
a geographical approach (as much as is possible).
After identifying the boat we will look at
the outside, inside, engine compartment then
the AC and DC systems then sailboat rigging.

FIRST, IDENTIFY THE BOAT
After finding the boat of your dreams resist
the urge to jump in the car. First call the
seller and ask the following questions.

1. Is this a fresh water boat ? - Regardless
of the answer you should educate yourself
about salt water boats and Buying a Hurricane Boat as a great many of these southern write
offs find their way into our market here
in Ontario.

2. What is the License Number ? - In 2006 the
license format changed from the format shown
in the left side of the photo to that in
the right side. If the boat is a 2002 model
with an ON license prefix ..... where was
it between 2002 and 2006? This is a tip off
that the boat was probably brought in from
the US and may be a salt water or hurricane
cover up job. This is far more common than
you'd think.

4. What is the hull identification number ?
- This code can tell you who built it, when
and where and for what model year and if
there are recalls on the model. I find several
codes every year that have been tampered
with. It is fairly easy to change the model
year of the boat, make a hurricane boat difficult
to trace or just hide the fact that it is
stolen. The upper code in the photo at right
is a legitimate Sea Ray code. The lower (bogus)
code was found on a Sea Ray stolen in Florida
and sold in Canada. For a complete explanation
on how to read these codes and uncover the
bogus ones, check out What's a HIN ?To see if the USCG has recalls on your model
go to USCG HIN and recall database
Google the HIN. chances are nothing
will
come up but a couple of times I have
had
results showing the vessels were previously
sold at salvage auctions.

OK ! Now that you are satisfied that you're
not spending good gas money to go look at
something that was repainted after being
clobbered by Katrina, Sandy or stolen in
Louisiana you are now ready to go look at
the boat. Take the whole family, kids, dogs,
neighbors dogs and that expert down the street
that knows everything about boats. Crawl
all over that thing, sit at the wheel and
imagine the peace of cruising the great briny.
See yourself stretched out in the cockpit
at anchor with a good book and a cold beer
..... Now get real ! Get all that stuff out
of your system and get critical.

THE EXTERIOR

I like to start on the outside and work inwards
remembering that flaws on the exterior will
often be related to flaws inside. Look for
the anomalies and take notes of every one.

You will be astonished by what you
can find
with no more than a critical eye and
a slightly
cynical nature.

First, look at the forest. Stand well
back
and have a walk around the boat. There
is
a very good chance that once they repair
that damaged hull (at right) you will
still
be able to detect some hint of repair,
a
slight unfairness or a subtle change
in colour.

Even if the colour match is perfect
when
first done, repaired areas of gelcoat
or
paint will UV degrade at different
rates
over time and can be picked up by a
careful
eye.

Walk slowly around the boat and look at things
from different angles. I often do this several
times during a survey as some things become
more evident as the light changes through
the day. Look at the hull/deck joint and
ensure that it is straight and fair, look
for new sealant at the joint or overspray
from paint or gel work.Now do the same thing with polarized sun
glasses. I'm always surprised by what I can
see with these.

What you can't see, with a little practice
you can hear.

PERCUSSIVE SOUNDING - otherwise known as
tapping with a hammer., note I said "tap",
there is no need to be heavy handed. This
is a simple process of noting the difference
in sounds as you tap. A hollow sound may
indicate delamination or core separation.
A dull sound suggests high moisture content
and a very dull sound suggests rotten core
material. Anyone with a decent ear should
be able to determine all but the most subtle
conditions. A sound structure will produce
a clean "click" with very little
bounce back of the hammer. Delamination or
core separation will give more bounce back
(like a drum) and saturated core will produce
a dull thud with near zero bounce back.

I use a variety of hammers and prefer
my
brass head but do use the Nylon head
too.
you can buy the little ones shown at
right
at Princess Auto. This is a process you will use on every
part of the structure and is critical on
balsa cored hulls, I/O transoms and engine
stringers. On decks tap around every fastener and fitting,
paying particular attention to areas of hairline
fracture in the gelcoat.

Be aware that tapping on an area of
the hull
where a bulkhead is attached inside
will
produce a very hard click and that
areas
between interior frames will produce
a very
slightly duller sound. You probably
will
not find the more subtle differences
but
you can find the costly issues quite
easily.

An example - I/O boats more often than not
have wet transom core often after only a
couple of years in the water. The transom
is made up of a sandwich with FRP (fiberglass)
on both sides and plywood in between. The
cut-outs for the drives are never well sealed
from the factory and neither are all the
screw holes for trim tabs, depth transducers,
knot wheels or anything else that gets stuck
on there. A transom rebuilt can cost $8-12K.
Fortunately dry, wet, delaminated or even
saturated wood produce distinctly different
sounds when tapped with a hammer. If you
don't want to mark the bottom paint put some
masking tape on the hammer. Start tapping
just below the water line at an outside corner
and work towards the drive. You should hear
a nice crisp ring with minimal bounceback
of the hammer. If you hear dull thuds and
get a more pronounced bounceback you are
hitting wet or delaminated or even rotten
core.
Moisture meters tell a lot of lies.
For structural
conditions I rely more on my hammers
but
use the moisture meter as a second
opinion
and occasionally my thermal camera
for a
third opinion. If you really want to
buy
a moisture meter, first read Moisture Meter Mythology.

Tap along the yellow line

The three photos below (all of same boat)
taken over about 4 hours are perfect
examples
of the value of the walk around in
differing
light and at different angles. If you
see
a condition like this you may want
to read
Osmosis Testing.

Looking from the bow towards the keel we
see what appears to be a fair and smooth
bottom forward of the keel.

A little later, from the keel looking forward
shows distinct 1" - 1 1/2" blisters
not seen from the first angle.

Same as photo at left from a slightly shallower
angle shows a very unfair surface indicative
of major repair work.

Next boat ........

In the photo at far right you can see
a slightly
dark vertical line above the rub rail
with
the area to left of the dark line very
slightly
darker than the area to right. That
is enough
to cause a little suspicion.When you see something like this you want
to take a closer look at the inside surface.

The photo near right shows the same
area
from the inside. A significant impact
that
fractured above and below the rub rail
had
been quite well hidden by some patching
on
the outside without repairing the laminate
at all. They didn't even replace the
wood
backing strip as seen by the protruding
screw.

I have polarized sunglasses that I frequently
put on and off as I've found many flaws through
the lenses that were invisible otherwise.

As you walk around the boat, look up at the
underside of the rub rail or toe rails, see
a couple of feet of newer caulking or a gap
between hull and rail. You must now get to
that area on the inside of the boat and try
to determine the cause.

Next boat .....

Another example of a slow walk around
the
boat that reveals a keel that does
not line
up with the rudder This is a pretty
clear
indication that something is not kosher.
At first look it seems that the rudder
is
not plumb but a second look shows that
neither
is the keel. A bent rudder stock can
be repaired
but the keel issue is significant.
This keel
could actually be pushed about 3"
side
to side.

Inside we find that the rudder stock
is actually
bent but the real kicker is forward
in the
saloon around the mast step .................

At this point we'll have to jump inside for
a moment to illustrate how you have to follow
the dots and relate what you see on the outside
to what is inside.

Same boat .....

when we go inside and lift the floor boards
we can see that the grid frame (integral
to the liner) to right of the mast
is not
level. We see a wooden block (partially
hidden
by the mast) that was being used as
a shim
to keep the sole panel level. You can
see
fractures in the liner on both sides
of the
mast. Best of all we see that a 2"
section
has been welded on to the bottom of
the mast.

The mast support structure had been collapsing
over time and when he couldn't tighten
the
shrouds anymore he lengthened the mast.
The
whole cycle started over and pretty
soon
he ran out of room on the turnbuckles
again.

Punch line - this keel was about to fall
off !

Next boat.....

Something is not halal (equal opportunity
.. I've already used "kosher")
about this keel so again we follow
the clues
found on the exterior and look around
the
interior keel support structure and
find
that the forward saloon bulkhead trim is about 1" higher
than it's original position indicating
that
something has definitely shifted. Using my brass hammer around the keel on the exterior suggests
the liner has separated from the hull.
The
broker did not have the sole panel
fasteners
removed as previously arranged so I
never
did get to inspect the liner in this
area.

Do not un-fasten sole panels without the
owners permission. If you chip his
teak sole
while removing screws he will not be
happy.
Tip - if you proceed with a survey
arrange
to have these fasteners removed before
the
surveyor arrives because he (I) will
not
remove them.

Same boat .....

Mike Lewis of Santa Barbara. CA appears
to
have the "touch" with Photoshop.
He kindly took the time to remove the
captions
from the above photo for me. Thanks
Mike.

It's a shame the buyer didn't lift
the floor
boards before paying me $700.00 to
find this
for him.

Next boat .....

Cast iron keel, stainless steel J-bolt
and
mild steel nut. Yes it left the factory
this
way ! This galvanic soup was doomed
to failure
the day it left the factory.

Cost to repair this 25' sailboat -
$15k

Value of this sailboat in good condition
- $2k
Chainsaw rental $60.00 per day

Wouldn't you be ticked off if you'd paid
me $500.00 to find this for you ?

Next boat .....

As you walk around the boat and start to
focus on the trees, take a hard look at the
drive system.The photo at right shows a loose prop nut
and even worse (arrow) a heavily hammered
bronze log. The log is being hammered flat
by the propeller being slammed against it
every time the throttle is pushed forward.
It's unlikely that just a loose propeller
could do this kind of damage so lets look
inside .........

Same boat as above .....

We find a missing motor mount bolt, in fact
there were a total of three missing bolts
on this engine and I could push the engine
back 2" by hand.

Unless you are prepared to rebuild the engine
bed this is a deal killer. On the other hand
if this kind of work doesn't scare you ....
squeeze the seller and go for it.

Next boat .....

This trawler has obviously had the shoe between
the keel and rudder added by less than expert
craftsmen.Note the less than 1/2" space between
the propeller blade tip and the shoe. No
tip should ever come within 10% of propeller
diameter to any other structure or cavitation
damage will likely result. On this 28"
prop, the space should be 2.8" not the
1/2" shown .............

This is a good example of finding one
issue
and backtracking to find all related
issues

Same boat as above .....

Cavitation damage is essentially caused by
exploding air bubbles (that's another
story)
as you can see at right the tip is
polished
and is actually about 1/3 the thickness
of
the rest of the blade and will eventually
disintegrate..........

Same boat as above .....

Yet another tree in the trawler forest !
The highly polished area of this shaft
suggests
once again that the motor is moving
back
and forth in its mounts as forward
and reverse
are applied. You can also see (arrows)
that
there is a space between the bearing
and
the shaft at the upper arrow and no
space
at the lower arrow. This means something
is mis-aligned as the shaft should
be centered
in the bearing.Many boats flex considerably when in the
slings, so the motor mounts and engine/shaft
alignment should be re-checked with
the vessel
in water.

Same boat as above .....

Inside we find loose motor mounts and as shown
at right the stuffing box locking nut
has
no cotter pins and the shaft does not
line
up in the center of the nut.

I think I'd want this stuff addressed before
I parted with my hard earned money.

Next Boat ......

Take a hard look at the cutless bearing.
This one is snug but is seriously degraded
and won't last long. On some boats this can
cost a couple of hundred dollars and on others
as much as a thousand.

THE INTERIOR

When you step inside, sit on the companionway
steps and again look at the forest,
get your
nose twitching and sniff the air as
odors
are often a clue to a problem, but not in this case. This 40 yr. old sailboat
looked pristine and even smelled good.
An
old yacht brokers trick is spray with
ozone
before the buyer arrives as this kills
off
any odors ..... temporarily

Same boat ......

This boat is looking better and better,
time
to look at the trees so we must move
the
forest out of the way. Remove all the
upholstery,
open every hatch and locker, lift all
the
sole panels and now we find the sordid
underbelly.

PS. No surveyor will use tools to gain access
to a compartment so make sure the owner
or
the broker have all fasteners removed
from
sole (floor) panels and any other fastened
hatch before the surveyor gets there.
If
the fasteners had not been removed
I would
never have found ........

Same boat .....

This boat has a keel stepped mast and
with
the sole panels lifted we find the
mast step
supported by a loose wooden block jammed
underneath and a steel I-beam that
is so
rotten that I pulled of the chunk of
steel
you see me holding.

Repair cost approximately $15k

Aren't you glad you found this yourself
rather
than paying me $700.00 to find it for
you
?

It is absolutely CRITICAL that all fasteners are removed from floor
panels so you can see whats underneath. Get
the owner or broker to remove all the screws.
The surveyor won't do it or he will be responsible
for any damage.

Next boat .....

I lifted this photo from one of my survey
reports and wish I'd kept a copy without
the captions so I could have it framed.
There
were obvious signs of hull stress (multiple
parallel fractures) around the keel
so once
more we need to take a closer look
at the
interior structure in that area.

This fella re-bedded his keel but found
it
easier to work with great chunks of
the structural
liner cut away (some fool gave him
a holesaw
for Xmas). Originally the keel bolts
would
have come through the hull then through
the
liner to the nuts. Almost all of the
strength
in this boats is in the 3/4" thick
liner,
not the 1/4" thick hull. This
guy now
has 5000lbs. of lead bolted to a hull
skin
of about 1/4". Oh yeah ... notice
he
did not even use whashers let alone
backing
plates !

Don't stand under the travel lift when they
pick this one up.

Next boat .....

Look for the oddities.

Notice that the frame member in the
grid
of this sailboat has a screwed on panel.
This is not original and I have no
idea why
it was done as there was no indication
of
a problem on the exterior but it raises
serious
concerns about the structure that is
holding
a 2500lb lead keel in place.

Next boat .....

The example at right is a little obvious
but some times it is much more subtle.
Check
around lower bulkheads for water stains
and
don't forget to look inside the lockers.
If batteries, engine starter motors
or anything
electrical has been submerged the problems
can come back to haunt you for a long
time.

Same boat ....

If we had not lifted the floor boards
we
never would have seen these very crudely
rebuilt frame members.

Next boat .....

Under the cushions we find a number
of fractures
in the liner. this suggests that something
is moving. Now is a good time to look
at
all liner/chainplate junctions for
other
signs of stress.

When you see something like this, start at the flaw and slowly
expand your area of inspection. There is rarely a single issueand you can often find a trail of related
issues.

This flaw on this particular model
is not
often a problem and has occurred due
to inadequate
venting of the water tank which expands
when
over filled and cracks the glass. On
other
models it can point to serious issues.

HOLES IN THE BOTTOM...
Before I go up on deck I make a diagram
of
all the hull penetrations then use
it as
a reference to check the throughulls
on the
interior. I often find that there are
throughulls
that cannot be seen or reached from
the inside
of the vessel. I recently looked at
a brand
new, high end "picnic boat"
that
had 22 near water line throughulls
and I
could only access 11 of them from inside
the vessel !!!!!

The diagram at right is lifted from
one of
my survey reports, so make a little
sketch
with the locations of all the holes
in the
bottom of the boat that you can see
on the
outside. Make it as accurate as you
can because
occasionally you will find it extremely
difficult
to find the relative seacock inside
the boat
(if there is one - not good).

Also mark any holes near the waterline
as
they too should have seacocks

PS. Don't try counting holes from the outside
if the boat is still in the water :)

Next boat .....

OK we are standing in the forest and
starting
to look at individual trees (throughulls)
which are basically holes in your boat.
The
throughull at right is a seriously
UV degraded,
cheap plastic part right at the waterline.
I have seen as many as 18 below the
waterline
throughulls on a boat so you better
be sure
they are in good order cause if one of these breaks you
are not going to save the boat with a crummy
little 12 volt bilge pump that will never
ever perform at its rated output (yet another
story).

Next boat .....

photo at right shows a plastic throughull,
brass ball valve, different type of plastic
elbows and all joints slathered with caulking.
Two different plastics and one metal - all
expand and contract at different rates, of
course they are going to leak !

The hose on the far right is held into
a
plastic cuff by friction of ribs only.
clamps
are on the cuff not on the hose. Hose
is
bent putting strain on the cuff and
a guaranteed
slow leaker.

Next .....

There are two major problems with seacocks
in modern boats. One is the mixing
of materials
like copper, bronze, brass and chrome
plated
brass. The second is the mixing of
threads
on the fittings.

Mixing metals increases the likelihood
of
galvanic corrosion particularly with
the
use of brass and chrome plated brass
that
most European builders use. Brass in
particular
will corrode rapidly if there is any
stray
current involved and will not last
long in
salt water if there is any galvanic
current.
A lot of builders are using cheap home
type
plumbing fittings and don't seem shy
about
mixing materials that will cause galvanic
corrosion.

I'll show you a few examples here but
strongly
recommend the two following links for
more
detailed information.

Compass Marine - Quite simply the best "How To"
online articles on almost all marine matters.

What you see at right is a real bronze
seacock
with a bronze lever. These thing are
becoming
quite rare as they are expensive. What
you
can't see in this picture are the stainless
steel ball inside and that the threads
are
NPT which means they are tapered.

This photo from Compass Marine shows the problem of mixing NPT and NPS
threads. The throughull (left) is NPS, the
coupler is NPT, The fitting at right is NPT.

Fitting an NPS pipe into an NPT coupler
means
only 3-4 threads will actually engage.
Now
imagine reefing down on a stiff ball
valve
with only a few threads engaged, the
last
two of which are barely in contact
at all.

Check out the Compass marine link,
he has
a great deal more information on this
issue..

This photo from the Paul Stevens articleshows what happens to brass in seawater,
add a little stray current and it can collapse
in a matter of days.

Unless there are stray current issues,
brass
will likely last a long time in fresh
water
but if you are heading to salt water
you'd
better watch these things.

It can be tough to tell if you are
buying
the right material but you should look
for
the following markings on any below
the waterline
fittings. "DZR" meaning "Dezincification
Resistant" , "CR" means
"corrosion
resisant" or buy a product that
clearly
states on the package that it is bronze.

Next boat .....

At least the last fella made an effort
at
seacocks, this guy didn't bother. If
these
hoses let go, the next survey will
be done
wearing scuba gear.

Not only is this illegal, I suspect that
an insurance claim may be difficult.

Many surveyors object to these plastic hoses
with fabric reinforcements but I have used
them for years without any problem. Like
anything else they do degrade over time and
replacement is a part of general maintenance.
However you must never use un-reinforced
plastic hose below the waterline !

Next boat .....

Here is a good example of why I dislike
cuffed
hoses. Once again the clamps are on
the cuff,
not the hose. The hose is held in place
by
the ribs on the hose only and the hose
is
stressed by being bent. This is another
constant
leaker as you can see. Unfortunately
many
new boats particularly French sailboats
have
gone to this inadequate arrangement.
I haven't
seen one actually separate yet but
leaks
are not acceptable on my boat.

Next boat ....

There are only two places on a boat
where
double clamps are required by ABYC® Standards, exhaust hoses and fuel fill hoses.
Here is a good example of how a second clamp
can do more damage than good. The second
hose is not over the nipple on this cockpit
scupper and tightening it is actually pulling
the hose off the nipple. In fact this is
an old mechanics trick to get off stubborn
hoses.

Next heavy rainfall could see this
hose come
completely of .... another sinker ?
According
to BoatUS® most boats sink while tied to the dock.

Next boat .....

Hoses - There are few things on a boat more neglected.

I cannot stress this enough ... Squeeze
every hose on the boat ! The wet spots on the
hose at right appeared when I squeezed the
hose. I immediately closed the seacock or
I'd be dealing with another sinker.

I think its kind of cute that he/she
actually
had tapered wooden plugs on hand.

PS. wear gloves when squeezing head hoses,
then smell the gloves. I changed all my waste
hoses to ABS pipe with only 6" hose
connections at the toilet and tank. The ABS
will last forever and never stink.

Next boat .....

Get into every compartment (like this
one
under the cockpit in a sailboat) with
a flashlight
and just sit for a couple of minutes
and
look around.

The rudder tube at right (another hole
in
the bottom) is plastic sewage pipe
held to
the Original FRP (or part thereof)
rudder
tube with electrical tape. The transom
has
also been "re-inforced" with
wood
planking. I wonder why. Get out from
under
this cockpit right now !

THE ENGINE COMPARTMENT

Next we move into the engine compartment,
my favourite place and the most complicated
area of any boat. On a simple sailboat installation
I will just sit and look for about 5 minutes
before I start to narrow things down. On
a 50' trawler with twin diesels, 2 battery
chargers, 5 battery switches, 8 seacocks,
isolation transformer, two a/c units, AC
generator, DC generator, engine driven hydraulics
and 4 massive battery banks, I may just sit
and look at things for an hour before I lift
my pen to make notes.

There are a thousand things can go wrong
in the basement and you can spot most of
them if you move slowly and are observant.

When you are choosing a boat, choose one
that has easy access to everything in the
engine compartment. The harder it is to get
complete access to everything in there, the
less likely that the boat has been well maintained.

Is the engine compartment clean and dry or
do you have to wade through various unknown
chemicals and petroleum products. Forget
the wet decks and broken port lights, toxic
sludge in the engine compartment is the deal
killer for me.

Nothing on a boat (or in life) occurs in
isolation. Everything is connected, it's
just a matter of connecting the dots. At
first glance the engine below at left looks
alright but once you start connecting the
dots a very different picture becomes evident.
A corroded turbo, swollen and soft hose on
the crank case breather, cloudy reduction
gear fluid, corroded nut and stud pulling
through the exhaust flange, leaking oil pan
gasket and a new impeller pump cover plate
all point toward a significant overheating
event. Not shown but the dates written on
the oil filters from port to starboard were
almost three years apart. Lots of red flags
on this one and it's screaming for a full
mechanical inspection including compression
test, turbo inspection, gear and oil fluid
analysis.

A full mechanical survey or a diesel engine
including compression testing is expensive
and many people are reluctant to go that
extra mile for any but the most expensive
boats. I am often asked if it is worth it.
Well the obvious answer is yes ! but ...
as you can see in the photos above, diesel
engines offer a multitude of clues just by
looking. If the fuel filters are clean, hoses
are in good order, clues like those above
are not evident and she starts with minimum
smoke, fuss. and runs well underload, the
chances of anything sigificant being wrong
are actually pretty slim with a disel engine.

Gasoline engines also offer some visual
clues
but compression testing is so simple
and
inexpensive I always recommend it.

Next boat ....

This engine compartment is exactly as it
was when I opened the hatch. It doesn't look bad at all until you notice
the can of Quick Start. This is a major clue
that this engine has some starting problems.
This stuff should never be used in diesel
engines as it will ignite before the diesel
fuel and may try to send the piston in the
opposite direction before it has completed
its stroke. Get yourself a big magnet and
you may be able to retrieve the piston from
the bottom of the lake.

Next boat .....

Coolant - Next remove the pressure cap on
the heat exchanger. In the photo at right
you'll notice there is no coolant. This could
be a serious problem. Where did it go ? You
might want to check the oil next. If it is
somewhat milky don't bother calling me to
do a survey.

Next boat ...........

Coolant - Stick your finger in the
heat exchanger.
If it comes out with that brown stuff
we
call rust move on to your 2nd choice.

Next boat .....

Coolant - From the heat exchanger move on
to the coolant overflow reservoir. Like the heat exchanger you should find some
clean translucent red or green fluid. If you come up with mud .... move on to
your 3rd. choice.

Next boat .....

Coolant If you come up with dirty black oil
in the coolant reservoir, move on to your
4th choice. I usually use the coffee stir
sticks for checking fluids then photograph
but the black finger was more dramatic.

Let's see that's 3 surveys you didn't have
to hire me for, you've saved $2,100.00 and
you haven't even left the house yet .....
You owe me a beer.

Don't forget to check the oil and the gear
reduction fluid.Take off the oil filler cap
and look at the underside sometimes water
in the oil will show up as condensation on
the cap. Pull the dipstick and if the oil
is milky or grayish walk away. To learn more
about oil take a look at Oil Analysis, Worth While ?

Next boat ....

Check the oil and gear reduction dipsticks.
This engine dipstick clearly shows beads
of water or coolant. This could be a major
rebuild.

Next boat ....

This engine dipstick clearly shows corrosion
and mud. This engine is toast.
You clearly did not need an oil analysis
to find this issue.

Next boat .....

Just like the hoses on all the throughulls,
you should squeeze all fuel, waste or A/C
hoses you find in the engine compartment
or anywhere else.

The hose at right being penetrated
by my
thumb is a gasoline fuel fill hose.

I'm sure even the most technically
handicapped
layman can see how dangerous this is.

I think I was the first person in 10 years
to open this deck plate and look at the hose.

Next boat .....

The owner attempted to seal the fuel
leak
on this polyethylene tank with some
sort
of caulking ... it didn't work..

Photos below show the importance of a very close look
at the fuel filters, dirty fuel will shut
you down in a hurry and it can be very expensive
to get contaminated fuel out of your boat
and disposed of. If there is a lot of water
in the filter and has been there for some
time, chances of internal tank corrosion
are high..

Why is there air in this filter, this engine
is not
going to run for long.

With an inch of water and sludge in the
filter this one wont run for long either.

A fuel filter this rusty, what else didn't
he maintain ?Think he's changed the oil in the last 10
years ?

Water, waxy layer, cloudy fuel

Clean un-dyed fuel

Clean red dyed fuel

Photos below ..... Close examination of fuel tanks is
often extremely difficult but the photos
below show why the effort is justified. Sometimes
I can't even get my snake camera into areas
that are most suspect. None of the corrosion
shown below was readily visible.

I could'nt see the bottom of the tank ...

but I could feel it !

Snake camera photo of underside of same tank

Next ......

Air filters - Many filters are contained
in some sort of metal box, open it up and
look inside. If the filter element is rotten
and oil soaked like the photo at right I
suggest a full mechanical inspection.

Next ......

On gasoline powered boats take a close look
at the spark plugs. The one shown at right
had not been removed for many years and is
a prime example of why I stopped don't do
compression tests in surveys anymore. Chances
of getting this out intact are slim.

Next boat .....

Many older power & sailboats and some
current power boats have engine beds (stringers)
made of FRP over wood. I broke the stringers
at right with my fingers ... yup, that's
what the engine was bolted to.

Get your hammer out and whack the engine
beds and any other stringers. You will quickly be able to detect the sound
of rotten wood under the FRP (fiberglass).
Even more so if your hammer penetrates the
stringer. On many of these boats the engines are secured with lag bolts into rotten
wood, a less than optimum arrangement. Sometimes the bolts go into steel or aluminum
plates embedded in the wood but if the wood
rots they become free floating.

Next boat .....

The motor mount on the left looks fine. The
one on the right (same engine) is badly compressed.
The chances of aligning this engine with
the shaft are slim. If you see something
like this, there is a good chance of a badly
worn cutless bearing and in extreme cases,
transmission and or shaft coupling damage.
Take a close look at all motor mounts for
signs of movement.

Next boat .....

Follow the water intake from the seacock
to the engine and you will find the raw water
pump. Inside this pump is a rubber impeller
that pulls water in to cool the engine. You
can see the blades on the impeller at right
are bent to varying degrees which is the
way it's supposed to be. The problem comes
over time when this stress begins to fracture
the rubber. If this happens you can have
as little as 2 minutes to shut your engine
down or your next trip will be to your friendly
diesel engine dealer.

Next boat ....

You won't be opening this pump to check
out
the impeller but take a close look
at the
pump body. The 6 year old pump at right
does
not have a single mark on the cover
plate
bolts, in fact the original factory
paint
over the bolts is not even cracked.
This
pump has never been opened ! The impeller
should be removed every winter to allow
the
rubber vanes to relax back to their
natural
position. Depending on how you use
the boat
you should never go more than 3 years
without
changing the impeller.

Next boat .....

Same problem, the bolts on this cover plate
had never been removed and the pump body
is badly scorched. This pump has been seriously
overheated and significant engine damage
is likely.

Next boat .....

These are failed impellers. Even if the impeller
looks good, change it every couple of years.
I have seen brand new units that had been
sitting on the shelf for a few years fail
in seconds because the bond between the rubber
and the bushing had failed. This pump is
a critical part of often neglected routine
maintenance.

Next boat .....

See the soot at the exhaust elbow, this is
an exhaust leak from what turned out to be
a crack in the elbow. $40.00 to weld it.
Carbon monoxide poisoning if you don't.

Take this one seriously as CO poisoning has
virtually the same symptoms as sea-sickness.

Some will tell you that diesels are
not a
CO threat but they don't realize the
effects
of CO are cumulative.
For more info check out CO Poisoning On Boats..

Next boat .....

The patchy looking FRP at the pipe junction
(blue arrow) is not a problem it's just the
more shape conformable mat they use. The
lateral line (yellow arrow) is a serious
but easily addressed issue. That line is
a crack in the muffler that has been patched
with black caulking. More CO poisoning potential.

Next boat .....

This improperly placed second clamp is on
an FRP exhaust tube is actually forcing the
hose off the pipe. The leak stains are obvious
and we have another CO potential.

Next boat .....

This improperly placed second clamp is on
a steel exhaust pipe that is cracked. You
can see that the hose is pulled back from
its original position by where the paint
stops. The first clamp isn't too well placed
either. This boat is going to the bottom
if not fixed prior launch. Your choice CO or drowning.

Next boat .....

I am not a fan of V-drive installations on
sailboats (engine faces stern with V-shaped
transmission) as it is extremely difficult
to see the stuffing box let alone inspect
or maintain. The photo at right was taken
with my snake camera and I could not physically
reach the stuffing box hose to see if it
was as bad as it looks. The only way to check
this or replace it is to remove the engine.
pretty poor engineering.

Next boat -

This stuffing box hose is so old and
has
been contaminated with oil, fuel, coolant
and who knows what over the years and
has
now turned to jello.

On I/O boats you want to grab the drive and shake it
from side to side, there should be very little
free play (1/4" is acceptable) otherwise
chances are good the gimbal bearings are
gone, fixable but not cheap. Apply as much
force as you can and try to move the drive
up and down, you should not be able to budge
it. Have the drive powered full left, right,
up and down so you can get a look at the
rubber exhaust and drive bellows. In most configurations a crack in
the exhaust bellows is not a big deal
other
than indicating that maintenance is
questionable.
A crack in the drive bellows. even
a faint
hairline fracture,even if you only think their might be a crack, insist that it be changed
as this could be a sinking issue. The bellows
should be pliable. If they are hard or brittle
fractures will soon follow. You'll need your
mirror and flashlight to see the bellows.

Notice the unpainted border around the drives,
we'll talk about this below.

Photo at right - Notice that the lower unit (fresher paint)
appears to have been changed and that the
bottom paint is in contact with the drive.
Now compare that to the boat above which
has a 1 1/2" unpainted border around
the drives. Why ? Many bottom paints contain
various metals and when put in contact with
the different metals of the drive unit you
create a galvanic cell which may result in
galvanic corrosion of the drive. In fact
i/o manufacturers will void your corrosion
warranty if your bottom paint touches the
drives. This fella will be buying another
lower unit in a year or two.

Anodes - Calling them "zincs" is
mis-leading because they may be zinc, an
aluminum alloy or magnesium and installing
the wrong ones is a waste of time. Don't
just grab what's on the shelf, get the proper
anodes. Most will tell you to replace the
anodes when they are 50% wasted but this
is not good enough. Your anode may show no
wastage or very little because it is not
doing it's job.

The critical factor is electrical continuity
between the anode and the metal it is supposed
to protect. So set your multimeter on ohms
and make sure you've got very low resistance
between the anode and the metal it's attached
to. Something less than 1ohm is good."O.L" (open line), this means there
is no continuity between the anode and shaft,
therefore no corrosion protection.

Its not good enough to have a shiny
anode
on the exposed surface, the mating
surfaces
must also be clean. In fresh water
this is
not usually much of an issue of shaft
drives
but can be a major issue on i/o drives
and
saildrives where all the different
metals
involved can create an active galvanic
cell..

O.L = Open Line meaning no continuity

ELECTRICAL SYSTEMS .....

Now let's play with electricity, unless
you
are English, my experience with Jaguars, Triumphs and
Austin Healey's have convinced me that English
people should not be allowed to play with
electricity. These systems generate more comments in
my surveys than anything else. They
are neglected,
abused and modified by amateur electricians
(or electrical engineers) who can create
lethal conditions in a matter of minutes.

I'll also show you some simple tests with
your new multimeter which if completed will
give you about a 98% assurance of the vessels
electrical integrity.

There are a lot of if's, ands, or's and but's
in the following tests but we are going to
leave those to the ABYC® certified electricians
and assume a basic 120volt shore power system.
Some of the if's/or's include 240volt systems,
generators, isolation transformers, dual
pole branch circuit breakers and inverters
etc. If any of this goes over your head,
forget about it and leave it to your surveyor.
If I see something that is beyond me I don't
hesitate to recommend an electrician be consulted.

Next boat .....

Look at the shorepower cord. Is the insulating
cover abraded or brittle ? If so replace
it. See the little weld spots on the contact
at right, that is caused by arcing i.e. electricity
jumping across a small space, this will generate
excessive heat and will melt down at some
point..... replace the cord.

Never unplug a cord without opening the main
circuit breakers As you wiggle the cord loose
arcing will degrade the contact points and
send your battery charger into a fit thereby
shortening its life.

Next boat .....

The boat end of this cord is even worse.
Poor contacts, loose contacts and just general
aging can make these cords dangerous. This
one's life is over, get rid of it.

Next boat .....

This one went off in my hand while
I jiggled
it to see if it was tight.

Next boat .....

With cords like those above you are
playing
with your life. For $75.00 get a new
one.

Next boat .....

Polarity is more important than most realize and
very easily checked with a cheap three light
tester. If the polarity is incorrect you
could easily electrocute yourself working
on an appliance because the neutral would
be live even with the branch breaker open.

Standards require a double pole main breaker
or a single pole breaker with a polarity indicator
on incoming AC. Depending on where the reversal
is you may be playing with live wires even
though you turned of the branch circuit breaker.
Reversed polarity whether at the panel or
downstream outlets with a ground fault can
cause overheated wires and poses a fire hazard.
This condition can also indirectly contribute
to "electric shock drowning".

Buy the tester with the G.F.C.I. test button
(red button on tester at right).and you can
also check if the outlets downstream of the
G.F.C.I. are protected as they should be.

As few boats are fitted with double pole
branch breakers, You must test each and every
outlet on the boat.

IMPORTANT - There are a few important caveats for
the following tests using your multimeter.

1. The shore power should be disconnected
at the pedestal.
2. All AC breakers must be on (closed).3. If an inverter is on board it must be
turned off.
4.. If a generator is onboard the selector
switch must be set to "shore power".
5. When checking resistance or continuity
it matters not which probe is used for ground
or neutral.

Neutral Ground Bond. This is absolutely critical as neutral/ground
bonds are a key contributor to "electric
shock drowning". This can get
complicated
so I'm really going to simplify and
advise
you to read up on Dave Rifkins website
if
you want more detail

Except at generators and inverters where
switching is automatic, the neutral (white) and ground (green) wires
should never be joined on the boat. This
practice may be acceptable at a home panel
but your home does not have a DC system connected
to the same ground and it does not sit in
water (normally).

Unplug the shore power, turn on the
main
breaker, set your multimeter on the
ohms
function and insert a probe (red or
black
probe is irrelevant for this test)
in the
neutral (biggest) slot and one in the
ground
slot.

Neutral to Ground test - As in the photo
at right. If there is no G.F.C.I. in the
circuit you should see a reading of "O.L"
(Open Line) indicating there is no contact
and this is as it should be.

Red probe in neutral, Black Probe in ground

As in this photo at right. When testing
a GFCI protected circuit, ABYC standards
require that you see a reading of more than
25,000ohms. This has to do with the G.F.C.I.
itself). If all is well you will likely see
a reading in megohms (photo at right) or
kilohms. if you see something in "ohms"
range stop immediately and call an ABYC®
certified marine electrician.

Red probe in neutral, black in ground1.266 megohms = 1,266,000 ohms

This photo shows a neutral / ground bond
with continuity of 34.6 Ohms . THIS IS LETHAL
!!!!!!

I see about ten boats per year like
this
and have no idea how many people its
killed.

This outlet is a GFCI and should show
at
least 25,000 Ohms or 25 Megohms.

If the boat AC and DC grounds are bonded
as they should be this boat will be sending
AC current directly into the water.

It will also be sending DC current into the
water and corrosion of below the waterline
metals can be severe, most likely for your
own boat but quite possibly for your neighbours
as well.

Black probe in ground, Red probe in neutral

More on grounds and gasoline.

Unplug the shorepower cord from the pedestal
(leave boat end connected) and drag the cord
plug inside the boat. With your meter still
on the ohms function touch one probe to the
ground prong on the shore cord and the other
probe in the ground opening in an AC outlet.
Now repeat that process on every AC outlet
on the boat.

Also touch a probe to the fuel fill
fitting,
gas tank and engine. It is crucial
that these
points have good grounds as sparks
and gas
mix rather well (depending on your
point
of view). Testing these items will
also confirm
that your AC and DC grounds are joined.

Joining AC and DC grounds is a controversial
subject as this may create another
avenue
for corrosion, however ABYC's position
is
that your life is worth more than a
little
corrosion. if someone disputes this
tell
them to watch this youtube video explaining the death of Lucas
Ritz.

Good grounds are critical to your safety.
A good ground should show something less
than 1ohm.

I'll add a photo here when I come
across one that fits

Next boat .....

Transport Canada construction standards prohibit AC and DC from sharing the same
panel (builders say so what ?) but
many new
boats sold in Canada are built this
way.
ABYC® standards say they can share
a
panel as long as they are clearly separated
and tools must be required to gain
access
to the AC side on the back of the panel.

If done properly I don't really have
a big
problem with sharing but .....

I also believe volt meters and ammeters
on
both AC and DC sides are critical ....
don't
see one on this panel though.

Next boat .....

Unfortunately the builder of this new boat
did not separate the AC & DC sides (required
by Transport Canada and ABYC®) and obviously
there are no tools required to gain access
to the AC side. some AC and DC conductors
are bundled together. This type of shoddy
work is quite common on new boats.

Even though the system at right is
quite
neat, imagine what it will look like
in 10
yrs after many different people have
played
in this sand box and added lines for
a/c,
extra outlets, new nav stuff etc.
It ain't gonna be pretty and sure won't
be
safe. If the choice comes down to two
boats,
lean towards the one with separate
panels.

Next boat .....

This is the back side of a shared panel after
a few years and a few owners mucking about
in it and makes a very good case for separate
panels or at the very least some form of
separation of protection from loose (and
conductive) gear lying up against it..

Next boat ....

If you look closely at this melted outlet
you can see the conductors are solid copper
wire rather than stranded.

Solid copper wire is fine in your house which
does not vibrate at 3200RPM in harmony with
your Yanmar but solid copper degrades over
time from vibration. Most boats were fine
with this for 10 years or so but as this
stuff ages it can be a hazard to your family.
Take a look at the cable, if it does not
say "600 volt" & "boat
cable" it should be replaced. If it's
very stiff and difficult to flex, chances
are it's solid copper.

Also note (lower right corner) the garage
sale breaker panel without a polarity indicator
or volt meter.

Next boat .....
Some of the older boats came without AC panels
and people added their own like this fuse
box someone found in a dump.

These might be fine in you workshop at home
but not in a boat. Again vibrating at 2800
RPM right along with your old 1 cylinder
Yanmar or Gasoline powered Atomic4 these
fuses will come loose and start arcing. Another
prime candidate for a melt down if not a
fire.

Curiously I mostly find most of these in
gasoline engine compartments which makes
them a triple threat due to the potential
for arcing.

Next boat .....

This 2009 42' trawler came straight
from
the factory like this. An outlet without
a junction box ! Any short in this
outlet
is going straight to the wood, another
potential
fire. Almost all Taiwan boats are built
this
way.

Next boat .....

Another electrical genius at work installed
this single pole panel without polarity indicator
or volt meter. Notice the blackened areas
on the cord. Obviously something is overheating
this cord ..........

Same boat as above ......

This is a close up of the single pole breaker.
Note that it is a 60amp breaker on a 30amp
line. Running the water heater, air conditioning
and microwave at the same time will vaporize
this cord long before the breaker trips

Next boat .....

By law any electrical appliance (including
fuses, starter motors, alternators,
switches
etc.) in a compartment containing gasoline
must be inherently ignition proof or
certified
as ignition protected. Sparks and gasoline
fumes are a bad mix. . The fella at
right
got this unprotected water heater from
a
big box store and stuck it next to
a gasoline
engine ... BANG !This goes for battery chargers, inverters,
AC outlets and anything else that can
spark.
Any electrical appliance or fixture
in a
compartment containing gasoline must be ignition protected.

Next boat ........

Rules for batteries are fairly straight forward
.... they are not supposed to fly around
the engine room, the electrolyte (sulfuric
acid) they produce must not be allowed to
spill into the boat, positive terminals must
be protected (rubber boots), wing nuts must
not be used, positive cables must have a
fuse (except for the ones going to a starter
motor). Neither chargers, inverters or un-protected
fuel lines may be above batteries and they
must have ventilation to the outside due
to the hydrogen they produce while charging.
I know this seems like a lot but its really
quite simple. Sit quietly and look over the
system as a whole before trying to nail down
this list.

The disaster in waiting in photo at right
is an all too common battery installation..

Next boat .......

The battery at right is not in a plastic
box (plywood is no good) to capture
spilled
acid. The hydrogen produced while charging
is not only highly explosive but extremely
corrosive and will go right into that
generator
mounted over the battery, The battery
is
not secured at all so when this boat
hits
a 2' wave and that unprotected positive
terminal
comes in contact with the generator
just
above it .... massive fail !

Next boat .....

Eight golf cart batteries = 1800amps + one
group 31 battery at 900amps equals 2,800
amps of hydrogen generating, sulfuric acid
producing explosive power in a plywood box
inside the boat without any ventilation,
no fuse protection, no rubber boots on the
positive terminals and an undersized and
non-ignition protected battery charger in
the same compartment. Sealed (AGM or Gel)
batteries are not exempt from these requirements.

He was very proud of this installation
....
I condemned it.

Next boat .....

The stained wood under the red battery
switches
is sulfuric acid leaking from the batteries
under this dinette bench, they are
not in
plastic boxes, the positive terminal
are
not protected and as you can see by
the little
wooden grille, the hydrogen is being
vented
right into the cabin.

Oh yeah .... the acid is dripping through
the deck on to the hull below and eating
through the fiberglass.

Next boat .....

Take a close look at the batteries. Even
moderate size sailboats often have 4-5 of
these and they can be expensive if you buy
good ones. (don't buy cheap automotive stuff).
This one at right had boiled dry and the
heat and expanding gas has swollen the side
of the battery case. This battery will die
in short order and could explode if charging
continues when it has lost all its electrolyte.

If you see a swollen battery or smell
something
like burning urine when its charging......
don't ask me how I know just get it
off the
boat.

This is why batteries must be in a
space
that is ventilated outside of accommodation
spaces and why neither chargers, inverters
nor fuel lines may be mounted over
batteries.

Never replace only one battery in a
bank
as the older ones will drag the new
one down
to their level Always replace the entire
bank.

Next boat .....

It is an ABYC® requirement that all batteries
be contained in acid resistant boxes or trays.
I often get told that this is not required
for AGM batteries. I show them this photo
..... I wonder where the acid went ?

Next boat .....

Remove every cap on the batteries and ensure
there is electrolyte, The one at right is
bone dry and an explosion candidate.

Next boat .....

This fuel hose which exhibits some
fine fractures
is abrading against a non-ignition
protected
battery charger.

Next boat .....

This bilge pump is obviously not working.
Could it be because of the electrical connection
made with tape sitting in bilge water ? Make
sure any conductors in the bilge are secured
above the normal accumulation of bilge water
and make sure all connections are made with
waterproof connectors.

Next boat .....

This gasoline engine (15hp OMC saildrive)
is vented into the cabin of this sailboat
(little louver in front of the engine), the
non-ignition protected battery charger is
in the engine compartment and plugged into
an AC outlet which by it's nature is not
protected, The AC conductor is lying on the
engine, some AC connections are not in sealed
junction boxes but made with wire twist connectors
wrapped in electrical tape and there is a
leak in the exhaust hose.

Next boat ......

See the red battery switch ..... one of the
first things to do if you have a fire in
the engine room is turn off the batteries,
the last thing you want to do is open the
engine compartment to get to the switch.
Also note that the non-ignition protected
charger is mounted over the batteries and
on top of an unshielded fuel supply line.
The batteries are in plastic boxes but those
cheap plastic straps are a poor method of
securement.

Another topic that deserves special
attention
and its own article is one of my favourite,
propane ! Propane is a very safe fuel
if
the system is properly installed. It's
a
very big if. The photo at right shows
a "custom"
propane storage locker inside a gasoline
engine compartment. If you are considering
a vessel with a propane installation,
please,
Please, PLEASE read

I do not have an extended health care
plan,
dental plan, disability insurance or
pension
plan and do not go up masts. For a
proper
inspection you can either drop the
stick
or rely on my binoculars. I have on
a number
of occasions found serious issues that
would
not otherwise have been noticed without
my
binoculars.

Next boat ...

if you see a turnbuckle that is "blocked"
like the one near right or "open"
like the one on far right, there is
something
wrong as neither situation has any
room for
adjustment. Further investigation is
advised,
particularly around the base of the
mast
and at the spreaders.

Binoculars and a 14x zoom lens caught
this
clevis pin securing the forestay that
had
about 1mm to move before letting go.
A mast
coming down that way is not good for
boat
or crew.

Next boat .....

Mast and sleeve joint on a Nonsuch
mast.
Loose bolts and a crack = about $60k.

Don't forget your binoculars.

Next boat .....

This is the custom made stainless steel
gooseneck
on a racing sailboat. I'd want my money
back
for this truly amateur weld.

Same boat .....

As I pushed on the boom that crappy
weld
let go. Fortunately the owner didn't
hold
me responsible.

Beware of amateur repairs. If it doesn't
look right it probably isn't.

Next boat .....

Sailboats should not be stored on the
hard
with their masts up. period.

The crack in this masthead fitting
would
not have been seen with binoculars
had the
mast been stepped. Very few surveyors
will
go up a mast as we don't have dental
plans,
drug plans, pensions or any other health
benefits.

Next boat .....

Take a look at all connecting points on rigging.
The captions my friend Jay Stormer put on
this photo says it all. This is a patch job
that will not last and makes one suspicious
of every piece of rigging on the boat.

Next boat .....

Another shot from Jay. I have never found
it necessary to discover cracks in stainless
rigging with dye testing, a magnifying glass
has always been sufficient . Lower terminals
like the one at right tend to fail before
the uppers since dirt can wash down the wire
into the swage. Stainless steel corrodes
in the absence of oxygen so the dirt builds
up and holds water which becomes stagnant
(de-oxygenated) and things corrode from the
inside. The very obvious crack in this terminal
shows that it must be replaced. It is advisable
to change the entire shroud rather than patching
in a new terminal to old wire.

Next boat .....

By the time you see a deep pit like this
one in a shroud toggle it is too late
............

This is the result

This would be catastrophic in a 20
knot blow.

Next boat .....

The tight fitting vinyl tube over this
shroud
has trapped a lot of moist dirt.

Large areas of chainplates on many
boats
are not accessible for inspection whether
behind built in cabinetry inside the
boat
or embedded in wood like the one at
right.

Remember stainless corrodes from lack
of
oxygen.

In fresh water this will not usually
be a
problem in your lifetime but in salt
water,
designs like this are beyond dumb.
This plate
is in continuous contact with damp
wood which
is really bad for stainless. Now throw
in
a little salt and it may not take long
to
create a dangerous condition. So what
if
your rig falls down look at all the
money
you saved by buying that ex-charter
boat.

.

Next boat .....

What you see on these chainplates looks
like
minimum surface corrosion but the stainless
is rotten on the inside.

Also note the elongated holes, this
plate
has been stretching.

Many riggers advise pulling plates
every
7-10 years for inspection if in salt
water
and about 15yrs. in fresh...... I have
never
seen it done ......
until after they break.

Next boat .....

The owner of this boat was incensed
when
I condemned all his chainplates. My
client
(buyer) wisely walked from the deal.

The owner cleaned the plates with some
abrasive
and took all the surface rust off.
They actually
looked not bad except if you looked
really
closely you could see a great many
near microscopic
pits.

What's so bad about microscopic pits
? Read
on, I'll get to it.

Next boat ......

This fella tried to stop his chainplates
leaking by covering them with FRP.
All he
managed to do was create the perfect
environment
for corrosion.

A number of 70's and 80's boats were
built
this way so take a hard look for any
brown
weeping stains.

The factory boats built this way often
have
the FRP so thick that neither the hammer
or moisture meter are of any use.

Marine Survey Checklist.
After studying Marine Survey 101, I
suggest
you print this checklist and take it
with
you for your boat inspection.
It will help keep your self-survey on track..

So if you made it this far you may have found
some value in my tips. I don't think
you
want to print this off and carry it
around
so I made up a printablechecklist that you can take with you on your next
inspection. It is laid out to help
organize
your thoughts and hopefully help so
that
you don't miss anything.

I have posted a number of Sample Marine Survey Reports, my own and from a few other surveyors.
We all do things a little differently to
take a look to see what you should or could
expect in the way of a report.

Listed below are three very good links
for
those who want to know more about rigging
inspections

Not everyone agrees with what I have to say
here so like everything else online,
take
it all in, weigh it, chew it and spit
out
what you don't like.Stoopid Boat Tricks by Builders, All the stupid things builders do and whether
or not its worth surveying a new boat.

Once you have the boat, the best advice I
can give you is a link to this website
of
Boat How To articles. They are without a doubt the best
online resource for anything you want
to
tackle on your boat and cover just
about
everything. I strongly disagree with
his
position on moisture meters but the
rest
of it is impressive.

Don't waste money on a moisture meter
to
aid in boat buying, just accept that
all
older boats will have some moisture
in them
and that if the issue is enough to
make you
walk from the deal, then it will be
obvious
by other means discussed above. Check
out
Moisture Meter Mythology and Moisture Meters on Boat Hulls.